As the World Falls Down
by RaggedyLady
Summary: London, 2010. (before the New York invasion.) Loki meets Coralie Maykis while banished to Midgard (with his powers), and never makes a deal with Thanos. He doesn't want to, but he slowly falls in love with this young woman, even though she's Midgardian and she's so plain... Or is she? Rated T for now, may change to M eventually.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Hey! This is my first fanfiction. I've started writing ones before, but I never continued them. However, I really wanted to continue this one, so I will. I don't have a plot totally outlined yet, so there may be changes made. Feel free to review and give me ideas, constructive criticism, etc :) But like I said, this is my first published story. Keep that in mind!_

_There's a secret behind my OC, but no spoilers. I feel like what it is isn't common in a character, though, so hopefully it'll be somewhat surprising!_

_This story will probably change point of view several times. Also, it's rated T for the time being, but there may be language and some sexual content later, and I'll probably end up changing the rating to M. Enjoy!_

Coralie sat through yet another day of waiting tables at the restaurant she worked in. It was immensely boring, as usual.

As she quickly maneuvered around a few tables and booths to set a glass of water down in front of someone, she noticed a tall, thin, dark-haired man walk in. A minute or two after he was given a menu and seated at a small table by the wall, she walked over to him. As she asked if we was ready, he looked up at her and she was greeted with one of the most beautiful sights she'd ever seen in all her life.

The man looked about 27. His face was gentle and smooth, yet somehow a bit rough at the same time. His hair framed his face perfectly, and the loose shoulder-length raven black strands curled a bit at the ends in a cute way. His lips were thin, looking incredibly soft as they parted. How Cora wanted to kiss them… And his eyes, his eyes were a piercing emerald green that seemed to bear into her soul. She couldn't put such beauty into enough words. She blanched when she realized she'd been staring at him and had totally missed what he'd said.

She shook her head a little as she snapped out of her reverie, bobbing her long brown curls against her chest. "I'm so sorry, could you repeat that? I'm kind of out of it today. Oh, and I'm Cora, I'll be serving you." She asked apologetically, blushing slightly. How embarrassing.

He let out a little bit of a laugh. "I understand. I'd only like a small coffee, black, with two sugars, please." The man answered, seeming amused. He looked a bit smug, probably noticing her staring at his handsome features. His voice sounded much nicer, somehow, than all other men she'd met in England, she thought.

"Right, I'll get that to you in a minute," she said back to him as she speed-walked around to the back of the restaurant to get his order. She made the coffee in record time, and walked back out to the table he was sitting at. He was looking outside, and looked back to her as soon as she was in his line of sight again.

As she set the drink on the table, he asked if he could pay then. Saying yes, she then asked if he'd like a receipt; even though no one ever did, she was required to ask. Oddly enough, he did, and she made ample opportunity and wrote her phone number down on the bottom of the paper, writing underneath:

_'Let's go out sometime? - Cora xo'_

Truthfully, it was the first time she'd ever just given a guy her number. Too many times, she passed up a chance to flirt with a guy out of nervousness, but there was something about this guy that made her unable to just let him go, so she took a leap of faith this time. She handed him the receipt and walked away, not wanting to see the look on his face when he read what was written there, in case it was a look of disdain. She tried not to pay too much attention to him afterwards and before she knew it, she turned around and he was gone.

She went to clear the table he'd been sitting at and found the tip he left, along with a note scribbled on a napkin saying:

_'I'd love to. Talk to you again soon. - L'_

Her stomach did a few flips. She was excited; he was so gorgeous and mysterious. Wow. She couldn't wait to see him again.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: I have the first five chapters of this written already. I didn't really realize until now, they're all very short! So I'm combining some of them and I'll make them longer, haha ^-^_

_Thanks to everyone who reads this, by the way :)_

The next day ~

Finally, it was Friday, and she had a few days off of work. But no matter what she did, she couldn't stop thinking of that man! Something about him was so captivating. She wondered about him, all she knew about him was that his name started with an L. She wondered what it could be – Luke, maybe. Logan… definitely not. Lucius, perhaps? As in Lucius Malfoy! Being a huge nerd, she giggled a little at that thought.

She really hoped he'd call. However, she didn't sit around by the phone all day like most girls would. She tried not to get her hopes up in case things didn't work out, so she kept herself distracted while still in hearing range of the phone, should it ring.

She woke up at 9:13 that day, taking a quick shower and throwing on a pair of sweatpants and a tank top. She figured she could take the day to clean her apartment, a chore she had been neglecting for a week or two.

At around noon, she got a call. She dropped the bowl in her hand that she'd been cleaning back in the sink and walked around the couch to get the phone. She checked the caller ID, and it was a number she didn't recognize.

An automated voice came over the line with, "Hello! Would you be interested in—"

"Hell, no," she said, hanging up immediately. Before she had the chance to go back to cleaning, the phone rang again. The number on the screen this time was a different one. "Hello?" she answered.

"Hi," she recognized the deep voice from the beautiful man as he spoke, "Is this… Cora?"

"Yeah," she said, "that's me. And your name is…?"

"Loki," he almost hesitated before answering. "I must say, I was quite pleased when you so boldly gave me your phone number. You are quite the sight for sore eyes." She was glad he couldn't see her blush from that comment.

She almost didn't know what to say back to that, granted men rarely acted that way toward her. She giggled a little before saying, "Thank you. I could say the same about you." She paused a bit before adding, "And, interesting name. Inspired by Norse mythology?" She almost couldn't believe she said that in such a dumb way.

"Thank you as well, and, uh… more or less so," he chuckled, not planning to explain just yet. "I was wondering if you would want to do something together." She felt as if she could sense him smiling on the other end of the line.

"I'd love to," she replied, trying not to sound too eager. "I'm off work for a few days; I'm free for the rest of the weekend. What do you have in mind?"

"I could meet you at your residence this evening if you'd like."

She agreed and gave him the address, and they decided to meet at four that afternoon. They then said their goodbyes, each saying they couldn't wait, and hung up.

Cora had but four hours to get ready to go out with Loki. She first ate lunch, taking her time since she knew she wouldn't need too long to get ready, having already showered and shaved. She took about an hour total to eat the sandwich she had and wash the remainder of her dishes.

She sat at her vanity after re-applying a thin layer of foundation and put on her makeup. She decided to wear a beige and brown eye shadow palette with a thin line of eyeliner and dark mascara. She then sprayed some Loverdose perfume on every area she thought appropriate.

Cora put her music on shuffle, blasting it in her earbuds. The song "Supermassive Black Hole" played as she picked out her outfit for the night, choosing a black dress. The dress came to the middle of her thigh; the area above her lower back and above her chest was flowery see-through lace. She paired it with short black boots with bows on the sides and a small pea coat and decided to wear thin black stockings underneath. Cora left her hair down, preferring it loose.

Since she used her phone so often while getting ready, it had taken two hours to prepare. That meant there was one hour left until her date, and she was totally ready.

She decided to use the extra time to call her best friend who was back in New York City. When Cora moved to a small town in Connecticut before her first year of high school, she was terrified. She knew she would be an outcast, as she always had been, because she was so different. However, as soon as she moved into her new home, she found hope. Her next door neighbor, Addie, was also starting her freshman year at the same school. Addie came off as awkward and shy, and was never outspoken and sat in the shadows. Truthfully, she didn't trust anyone in the town they lived in; she believed they were all rude people who all just wanted to be 'cool', so she avoided most of them. When Cora moved there, though, they met and instantly became best friends. Cora told Addie all of her secrets, even the ones she had never told anyone, not even her parents.

They spent all of high school attached at the hip, and agreed to keep in touch even though they knew they had to part ways. Addie went on to do modeling, though she had been going to college, majoring in engineering. Cora had gotten a degree in Psychology, but she hadn't put it to use just yet.

The two still talked when Addie came to visit for some modeling job, and Cora wanted to take this opportunity to catch up a bit with her best friend. She reached for the phone and dialed the number, but it automatically went to voicemail. She hung up and decided to watch Netflix to pass the time before her date.

One episode of _Doctor Who_ later, she heard a knock on her apartment door. She quickly checked the mirror by her door to make sure she still looked okay. After giving a satisfactory nod, Cora opened the door to find her date's beautiful face smiling back at her.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: I've never been to England, I know literally nothing about geography over there. Anything related to that isn't meant to be accurate, sorry for any mistakes I make in that area!_

_Also, I'm pretty terrible at writing the beginnings of stories. It won't be this rushed and awkward forever! I must warn you though, the first few chapters might be a bit... all over the place. Sorry, but at least it's not being dragged out too much? Anyway, enjoy :)_

"Hello. You look beautiful," Loki greeted her happily at exactly four o'clock. He wore a thin, black suit with his hair casually loose around his shoulders.

"Hi," Cora said back in a breathy way, slightly dumbstruck from how good he looked in something so simple. "Thank you. You look really great, yourself." She put her coat on and stepped outside of her home, locking the door. She was nervous to go out with him; she had little experience with dating and he was so good looking. She really hoped he would like her.

Loki held out his arm for her to put her hand in, and when she did, he led her out of the apartment building. When they got outside, she noticed the winter air was crisp, and people on the street were bundled up in many layers, clearly freezing. He turned to her and asked if she was cold.

"No, I'm fine, actually," she replied, giving him a soft smile. And she meant it; she really didn't feel a single thing from the chilled atmosphere.

Loki must have noticed this in her posture, because he didn't dwell on it. "Good," he said. Cora didn't know what he had planned for the night, so she simply followed next to him as he walked down the street from her apartment. He led her into a small restaurant, Tonkotsu East.

"Oh, I love Asian food," Cora mused quietly.

"I thought you might," Loki nearly whispered, making her blush. She wondered, how could he have guessed that?

They were seated inside and given menus. After a few minutes, their waitress came to take their orders. The young girl, Alexa, quite noticeably thought Loki was gorgeous. Despite nearly being ignored, Cora ordered a Soho Ramen. Loki ordered a Tokyo Ramen after her. They both ordered water to accompany their food and their meals were given to them less than ten minutes later.

Cora wondered if, should they continue dating, all women would stare at him the way that waitress did. Other women on the street stared that way, too. It made her slightly uneasy, but she tried to ignore it. Jealousy isn't attractive, she convinced herself.

During their dinner, she wanted to get to know this man who was practically a stranger. "So, tell me a bit about yourself?" she asked as casually as she could.

"Well, I've not lived here long. I have a job at a book store, as I happen to be an avid reader, and I live in an apartment not far from here. There's not much else worth mentioning." He replied coolly.

"So, then, where are you from?" Coralie asked. She took a bite of her food, trying to eat as gracefully as possible.

Loki chuckled a bit before answering, "My dear, I doubt you would believe me if I told you."

Cora didn't know where he could have come from that would be so unbelievable. He was white, with an English accent. What weird place could he have grown up? "Well, I guess you'll just have to tell me and then we can see if I believe you," she challenged, smiling brightly.

This challenge elicited another short laugh from Loki. He really did enjoy the shock on people's faces when they discovered who he really was. He knew, though, that he couldn't tell too many people – he didn't want to become well known as the god of mischief and lies in this realm. That could lead to unwanted attention. However, he could tell she wasn't one to tell secrets. So, he figured, he might as well just tell her. It would be fun to gauge her reaction, he thought.

"I come from another realm. I am not of Mid—uh, Earth. I am Loki, of Asgard."

She looked at him for a moment, her eyes wide. Her face began to split into a smile, and then she laughed softly. "Good one," she said, taking another bite of her noodles. "No, but for real, where are you from?"

"I have lied many times in my years, but I am giving you the truth. Should you choose to believe me or not is your choice." He kept his face straight, showing no visible signs of lying.

"Alright, sure. What's your last name, then?" Cora asked, dismissing what she still assumed was a joke.

"It is Laufeyson. May I ask yours?"

"Maykis. Oh, and my first name's Coralie. Just Cora for short."

"Coralie Maykis…" he whispered, trying out the name. "Lovely. It's different, and lovely. As are you." He said the last part just a little bit more quietly, winking and slightly leaning back in his chair.

Cora blushed at this and stifled a giggle. Composing herself, she asked, "So you're still going with that 'Loki of Asgard' story, then? Or is that some sort of code? Or is this all just a sick joke?"

Loki's face remained even as he replied. "I assure you, it is no lie or joke. It is the truth. I can see why you would be hesitant to believe me, but I can offer you proof, if you would like."

"How would you do that?" She asked, leaning forward in interest.

"Look around us, dear."

Coralie slowly turned her head to look in the restaurant. Everyone in the building was still, frozen, petrified. After looking for long enough, she had determined that no one around them was moving.

"What happened?" She asked fearfully.

"Do not panic, they are all fine. Time itself is still, or 'frozen', as humans might say. I didn't want them to notice when I did this," he nearly whispered. She watched as, in an instant, there was a duplicate of him standing next to the table. Stunned, Cora looked between the copy of Loki and the original, and another duplicate appeared at his other side. She gaped at him and both of the illusions were gone as quickly as they appeared.

She was panicking. This couldn't be real... Cora managed to squeak out, "What… the hell… was that?"

"Magic," he answered, smirking.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: This chapter is also a bit rushed, but what the hell. Things are discovered in this one as well :) Enjoy ~_

Coralie sat still and just blinked at him for a moment. "No way," she said, slowly smiling. "That is so cool." Loki merely smirked in response, knowing already that he was impressive. "Wait, if you're from Asgard, what are you doing here?" having studied Norse mythology briefly during high school, Cora knew it was not a common for beings to travel between realms; it was only ever done with good reason.

"I was, uh, banished to this realm as punishment."

"What for? I mean, judging by the myths about you, it seems like you've done some pretty bad things before…"

He laughed a bit to himself and rubbed his forehead, saying, "I may have attempted to have my brother assassinated. It would have worked if I had hired someone a bit lighter; his footsteps gave him away." He sighed, regretting his stupid mistake. "However, I am not entirely remorseful of the jurisdiction. I've found it to be quite nice to be away from Asgard. In this realm, I am not commonly ridiculed for simply existing."

Cora knew from what she had read that he wasn't well liked, and wasn't truly from Asgard. She never imagined that any of these stories were more than just legend, though… "Right. Well, that's understandable, I think. And sorry about, like, your life… I wish I could say I know how you feel, but, certainly not to the same extent." she replied quietly, not knowing what to say and still in shock. This was not the kind of thing that happened in real life, especially not in hers. Gods don't just come down to Earth. And as much as Cora wanted to doubt everything he said, her life was so lonely that she figured she might as well take a leap of faith and put her trust in his words.

"Well, now. You surely play the part of the shy thing, don't you? Do not pretend as if you are not special. I can sense that there is something more to you; your aura is quite different than that of other humans. What's your little secret?" Loki pried a bit, curious as to what about her was compelling him to not take Cora as average.

Taken aback by his sudden questioning, her face fell flat for a moment. No one had ever been able to figure out why she was so different and so weird, not even the family who adopted her. She had kept her life a secret, and when she thought about it, she realized it was hard. Cora had never known why she could do the things she could, and she thought, perhaps Loki knew more. There could be a benefit to her telling him her secret. And, what the hell,

Looking around, she saw the other people in the restaurant were still frozen. No one would hear her confession except for Loki, yet she still whispered.

"No one's ever known. Perhaps my birth parents knew, but they gave me up when I was a baby. I can… change into different things. Different people, animals, almost anything. I don't do it often, but I can." She shrugged as she explained, hoping he wouldn't think she was a freak.

"Ahh! A shapeshifter. Beautiful. Is that all?" Loki seemed almost joyous from this.

"Well, no. I have psychic empathy. I've used telepathy before, too, but I'm not very good at it. I guess being able to turn into someone or something else, it helps to know how they feel." She wouldn't have known what to call this, had she not looked it up several times. She found that it wasn't common, and that no one she found on the internet was able to help her with it.

Though she thought he might regard her with confusion and condescension or even reject her, he seemed pleased with these traits she had. "Possessing such gifts is quite desirable, especially of someone on Earth. What do you know of your heritage? I've not encountered a person with your talents in this realm…" More to himself, he muttered, "Where could you have come from," as he reached out to touch her cheek briefly.

She blushed and noticed that time had resumed once more. "I know nothing of my birth family. I was given up in a closed adoption before I was a year old. I was never told anything about them; my adoptive parents told me they knew nothing about them…" she trailed off as the waitress placed their check on the table. Cora paid for her meal and, allowing her to feel self-reliant, Loki did not object, but paid for his half and the tip. Since they paid in cash, they chose not to stay for the waitress to collect the money, and left the restaurant.

_A/N: I don't know much about psychic empathy, but it isn't something I just made up. However, her being a shapeshifter and having those abilities is a fictitious combination. _

_If you don't know what psychic empathy is, it's essentially being able to literally feel another entity's emotions. It also includes being able to kind of "emotionally heal" a person, like taking away their sadness._

_As always, if you have ideas for this story or constructive criticism, please don't hesitate to let me know :)_


End file.
